Sutton House Society Newsletter
April 2002
For all interested in the past, present and future of Sutton House, Hackney
Special Sadleir edition
Recent correspondence with the Sutton House Society from Milwaukee (U.S.A.), Glasgow and Hitchin (Hertfordshire) has added to our knowledge of the Sadleir family of Sutton House. See inside!
This newletter is also available in Acrobat PDF format. Click here to view it.
Spring is in the air and the Society is responding by planning its programme of activities for this year. Our major summer excursion is to Knole House (National Trust) in Kent on Saturday 6th July when members are invited to partake of a picnic in the famous deer park. The outing will also include a visit to the nearby Roman Villa at Lullingstone (English Heritage). The Roman Villa lies close to the River Darent. It is one of seven Roman Villas known in the Darent Valley and dates from the first century A.D. but was largely rebuilt in the fourth century with beautiful mosaic floors and wall paintings some with Christian iconography. It was discovered in 1939 having been preserved by land slippage from the hill behind over several centuries.
The picnic in Knole Deer Park follows. Members are asked to bring something to eat and drink for themselves and to share around. A folding stool might also be useful, particularly if the ground is wet. We are advised not to feed the deer otherwise they might take over the picnic! Afterwards there will be plenty of time to explore the park, gardens and the magnificent house. Knole takes its name from the knoll on which it stands, hidden from the modern world in the midst of a medieval deer-park.
The house has seven courtyards and rambles over 4½ acres, more like an ancient college than a home. The core of the house was built by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the late 15th century, but it was Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, who extensively remodelled the building and was responsible in 1605 for the magnificent decoration of the Great Hall, Staircase and Ballroom. The Great Staircase may have been the inspiration for the
somewhat more modest
west staircase in Sutton House with its trompe l’oeil heraldic animals and strapwork. Knole is unrivalled by any other country house for the rarity and importance of its 17th century furniture and textiles. Vita Sackville-West, the creator of Sissinghurst garden, was brought up at Knole. Her uncle, the 4th Lord Sackville, gave Knole with a generous endowment to the National Trust in 1946. Two minibuses will leave Sutton House at 9.30 am on
Saturday 6th July
.
Tickets, which must be bought in advance, are limited to 30, but members using their own transport will be welcome to join the party provided we know by 1st July. The cost will be around £12.50 with £4.00 discount for N.T. members and/or £2.00 discount for English Heritage members. Please book by completing the attached order form. You will be sent full information and notified of any changes to the arrangements.
The first outing of the year will be to Kenwood House (English Heritage), Hampstead. Many of you will know Nicola Richardson until recently administrative assistant at Sutton House. She is now resident House Manager at Kenwood and looks forward to greeting Sutton House members there on Saturday 18th May . After lunch in the old brewhouse there we are hoping to arrange visits to No. 2 Willow Road (N.T.), former home of architect Ernö Goldfinger and to Fenton House (N.T.). One or two minibuses will be provided from Sutton House but if you wish to make your own way there this can be accommodated provided we know in advance. Please book by filling in the order form. You will then be given full information on departure times and costs (not likely to exceed £10.00).
On Thursday 13th June , at 7.00 for 7.30 pm, members are invited to an audience with Joseph Sickert . Mr Sickert is the son of the famous British artist Walter Sickert, leader of the Camden Town group, and has a wealth of knowledge concerning his father’s life, his association with royalty and his controversial involvement in the 1888 Whitechapel murders. American crime writer Patricia Cornwell has gone as far as to claim recently that Walter Sickert was, in fact, the murderer himself — a theory which is strongly disputed by his son. Walter was born in Munich in 1860 but brought to London as a child. He died in 1942. He is considered to be one of the foremost British exponents of the impressionist style. His paintings particularly reflect his fascination with music halls and their audiences.
Joseph Sickert’s latest book, The Royal Legacy of Hate , will be published this summer by Duckworth. We hope that some copies will be available on the night. Admission will be strictly by ticket only and limited to 40. Cost to include light refreshments will be £8.00 for members, £10.00 for friends. Please book on the attached form.
Other Sutton House Society activities for the summer and autumn are at the planning stage. Please tick the box if you wish to have more information when it is available.
Tom Charney, from Milwaukee, emails us to say that, through his long standing interest in Sir Ralph Sadleir he has created a web site for the exchange of information about Sadleir: http://www.sirralphsadleir.com . He writes,
My interest in Sadleir started over a decade ago. I became involved in a ‘Renaissance Faire’ that recreates Queen Elizabeth I’s summer progress to Bristol, England. [Sadleir was Lord of the Manor of Bristol at that time.] The faire is held in Bristol, Wisconsin, USA. I have portrayed Sir Ralph for 11 of the 13 years that I have been involved in the faire.
Until June of 2000 I had never seen an image of Sir Ralph but while I was in the UK for business I made a side trip to Standon to see his effigy in St. Mary’s church.
It is only in the last few years that I’ve been able to gather any information on Sadleir so you can imagine my enthusiasm when I made contact with Sutton House and Standon Lordship. I look forward very much to the time that I will visit London and see Sutton House for myself.
We are grateful to Tom Charney for drawing our attention to Ralph Sadleir’s big moment in literature. It occurs in The True Chronicle Historie of the whole life and death of Thomas, Lord Cromwell , a play published in 1602 and stated on the title page to have been ‘written by W.S.’. It was included in the 3rd and 4th Shakespeare Folios (1603 and 1685). ‘The play has little merit and is certainly not by Shakespeare’ says Margaret Drabble in the Oxford Companion to English Literature .
Sadleir makes his poignant appearance in the last act when Cromwell, whom he had served loyally all his life, is awaiting the executioner’s axe, suffering the wrath of Henry VIII.
| Cromwell | Sir Ralph Sadler, pray, a word with you:
You were my man, and all that you possess Came by my means; to requite all this, Will you take this letter here of me, And give it with your own hands to the king? | |
| Sadler | I kiss your hand, and never will I rest,
Ere to the king this will be delivered. | [Exit Sadler.] |
| Later that day | ||
| Bedford | Well, farewell, Cromwell, the truest friend,
That ever Bedford shall possess again- Well Lords, I fear, when this man is dead. You’ll wish in vain that Cromwell had a head. | [Enter one with Cromwell’s head.] |
| Officer | Here is the head of the deceased Cromwell. | |
| Bedford | Pray thee, go hence, and bear his head away
Unto his body; inter them both in clay. | [Enter Sir Ralph Sadler.] |
| Sadler | Ho now, my Lords: what, is Lord Cromwell dead? | |
| Bedford | Lord Cromwell’s body now doth want a head. | |
| Sadler | O God! A little speed had saved his life.
Here is a kind reprieve come from the king, To bring him straight unto his majesty. | |
| Suffolk | Aye, aye, sir Ralph, reprieves comes now too late. |
The full play (if you can bear it) can be read on the Sadleir Web Site http://www.sirralphsadleir.com .
To all Sadleirs and Sadlers or descendants: we are planning an international reunion in 2007 at Sutton House to celebrate Sir Ralph’s 500th birthday. Keep in touch!
We were very pleased to receive a letter in January from Ronald Land of Glasgow, who is researching the Sadleir family as a direct descendant of Sir Ralph’s brother, John. He writes
My mother, Mary Sadleir, was born in Argentina but had dual British/ Argentine nationality as her father was Australian. Her grandfather, Nicholas Sadleir, emigrated to Australia from Co. Tipperary. His brother, John Sadleir, served in the Victoria police force for 44 years and captured Ned Kelly [the infamous outlaw] in 1880. Another John Sadleir, my third cousin five times removed, was an Irish MP at Westminster and the Robert Maxwell of his day [a book about him Prince of Swindlers – John Sadleir MP 1813-56 was published in 1999]. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Highgate Cemetery. A second cousin twice removed was Admiral Beatty, who by contrast is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Peter Carey, winner of the Booker Prize 2001 with his True History of the Kelly Gang was a little short of the truth in his depiction of the arrest of Ned Kelly. The role of Sadleir in the incident was not acknowledged. The truth however can be read in Sadleir’s own book, Recollections of a Victorian Police Officer published in 1913. In a preface to the book it is stated that
The highpoint of [Sadleir’s] career occurred when he took command of the siege and capture of Ned Kelly and his gang at Glenrowan. This book gives his invaluable first hand report of this episode, told with modesty and frankness.
Ronald Land writes further
I have tracked down Melanie Sadleir (born 1975), to Dublin — she seems to be a direct descendant of Sir Ralph, and is mentioned in Burke Irish Records 1976 . I will try shortly to get in touch again with Mrs Jill Golley in Adelaide — she is president of the Holdfast Bay History Society and is descended from the brother-in-law of my great-grand uncle, John (Ned Kelly) Sadleir. He and his wife, Isabella Crofton, had ten children, of whom the ones who survived infancy may have descendants about whom Jill (but not I, yet), may have information.
John Gardiner of Hitchin has just published a biography of this Elizabethan poet and dramatist. Chapman as a Hertfordshire lad worked in the service of Sir Ralph Sadleir at Standon Lordship between 1577 and 1582, at which time Sadleir had been appointed to administer the royal manor of Hitchin. Gardiner writes
While in service at Standon Lordship at the age of nineteen Chapman must have had easy access to Sir Ralph’s library. Sadleir may well have acquired the vast library of Thomas Cromwell in 1541, a year after the malleus monarchorum ’s execution. Exactly how long he stayed in service is a mystery but Sir Ralph Sadleir was to be a kind and generous patron to the young Chapman until the day of his death.
Readers may like to visit Sir Ralph Sadleir’s beautiful London residence ‘Sutton House’ in Hackney and his magnificent tomb in the parish church of Standon near Ware in Hertfordshire.
Copies of John Gardiner’s book The Life and Times of George Chapman may be obtained from the publishers ‘The Dogs of Tilehouse Street’, 23 Tilehouse St., Hitchin, Hertforshire SG5 2DY.
Picture acknowledgements:
Tom Charney, English Heritage, The National Trust, Penguin Australia, ‘The Dogs of Tilehouse Street’.
We have sadly to announce the untimely death of one of the founder members of the Sutton House Society, Jean Wait.
Jean spent nearly thirty years as an archivist. After graduation from St.Anne’s College, Oxford, she trained as an archivist at the University College of Wales. She was Senior Assistant Archivist at Hackney Archives between 1973 and 1992 and later Head Archivist in the London Borough of Lewisham.
Jean died peacefully aged 55, after a few months’ illness, at St Joseph’s Hospice, Hackney, on Saturday 30th March. She will be remembered and missed by many members of our Society, many of whom will remember her 50th birthday party at Sutton House. Jean, through her knowledge of medieval Latin and Tudor handwriting, played an important part in our understanding of the early history of Sutton House by transcribing ancient documents discovered in the Hackney Archives, the British Library and the Guildhall Library. She was a friend and supporter of the Sutton House Society to the end.
A fuller obituary will be published in the next newsletter of the Friends of Hackney Archives.
Siân Harrington has joined Sutton House, as Property Manager, from Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham where she has been the Curator since July 2000, managing a team of eight staff and a number of volunteers. Earlier in her career she worked for a number of museum and heritage organisations including the Museums and Galleries Commission and the South-Eastern Museums Service. Before moving to Bruce Castle Museum, Siân was the Heritage Development Manager at Southampton City Council. After school in Wales and studying anthropology at Durham University, Siân gained her M.A. in Museum Studies at Leicester University and is currently working on an M.B.A. at Middlesex University, examining how museums and heritage sites can become more community-focussed. As can be seen, Siân’s experience combines people, project and financial management skills that will be invaluable at Sutton House.
This series of popular walks by Mike Gray starts again in May.
Tick the appropriate box in the order form to get full information.
Walks in June and July with Sean Gubbins and Mike Gray focussing on the Heart of Hackney. Walks start at 11 am from the Town Hall steps and will include a visit to the Hackney Museum in the new Learning and Technology Centre which opens in April. We will also visit St. Augustine’s Tower, St John-at-Hackney Church, the Round Chapel and Sutton House depending on access opportunities. Walks will be approximately one hour and fifteen minutes long, will finish at the Bryk Place café in Sutton House and will cost £4.00 (£3.00 concessions). Just turn up on the day although it would be helpful if you could tick the appropriate box on the booking form.
Further information from Sean Gubbins via S.B.G@btinternet.co or telephone: 020 7923 0753.
Free entry
Sunday 28th April: Tudor Party Time
Help celebrate Henry VIII’s latest wedding!
Sunday 26th May: Right Royal Knees-Up
Join a day of right royal fun and festivities
In conjunction with the Open University, a series of lectures, as well as advice on local history courses
Free entry, but booking advisable
Saturday 11th May 1pm – 5 pm
Normal NT admission charges
Plants from local volunteer growers, nearby nurseries and garden-related products from local craftspeople
For further information on all the above events telephone 020 8525 9055
Tickets £8.00 (£5.00 concessions)
21st April: Centre for Young Musicians
19th May: Fitzwilliam String Quartet
Details from
http://www.shms.org.uk.
Bookings by telephone 01494 755572
Enola Café and Catering Company took over the catering operation at Sutton House at the end of March. The Sutton House Society welcomes them (Kwaku Appiah (manager), Patzy, Maria and Sandra) and wishes them well in their new enterprise, an addition to their existing concession at Jackson’s Lane Arts Centre in Highgate.
As a special introductory offer to Sutton House Society members, a voucher is included in this newsletter worth 10% off meals over £5.00. Why not give the new Bryk Place Café a try?
A typical menu consists of, for example:
Roasted courgette soup with garlic bread £2.75
Middle-eastern chicken & aubergine stew with basmati rice £5.75
Summer vegetable pie £4.75
Jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings £3.00
A range of sandwiches £2.00
Desserts £2.25
The Café/bar is open Wednesday to Sunday 11.30 am to 5.00 pm and Bank Holidays.
For further information about Sutton House Society and its activities phone Mike Gray on 020 8525 9672 or email on mikeg@hollyvillas.fslife.co.uk . Also visit our website at http://welcome.to/SuttonHouse .
Sutton House is at 2 & 4 Homerton High Street, Hackney, London E9 6JQ.
Telephone: 020 8986 2264 or email
suttonhouse@smtp.ntrust.org.uk
.
Please indicate the event(s) you are interested in attending and/or send cheque for firm bookings. For events still to be confirmed more information will be sent to you when it is available.
| Event | Date | Time and venue | Cost | |
| Kenwood House |
Saturday
18th May 2002 |
To be confirmed |
£10.00 to be confirmed
Cheques to Sutton House Society |
Number of provisional places ……
Tick for more information q |
| Lullingstone Roman Villa and Knole House |
Saturday
6th July 2002 |
9.30 am
meet at Sutton House |
£12.50 (discounts as appropriate)
Cheques to Sutton House Society |
Number of places …… |
| Mid-Summer Soirée |
Thursday
13th June 2002 |
7.00 for 7.30 pm
Sutton House |
£8.00 (£10.00)
Cheques to Sutton House Society |
Number of places …… |
|
‘Walking East’
Programme |
Various | To be confirmed | Tick for separate list q | |
|
‘Discovering Hackney’
Walks |
Various |
11 am
Town Hall steps |
£4.00 (£3.00)
Cheques to M. L. Gray |
Indicate possible dates ………………………
……………………… |
Name:…………………………………………………………Address:……………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Telephone……………………………………….. Email……………………………………………………………
This voucher entitles Sutton House Society members and friends to a 10% discount on meals over £5.00 for one use only and is valid until 14th May 2002. Please present at the time of ordering.
Name………………………….
This voucher entitles Sutton House Society members and friends to a 10% discount on meals over £5.00 for one use only and is valid until 14th May 2002. Please present at the time of ordering.
Name………………………….